Chief Executive Officer
Partners Relief & Development
www.partners.ngo
Partners Relief & Development is seeking an experienced leader who is inspired by the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and families impacted by conflict and oppression in some of the world’s most complex places.
The recruitment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Partners Relief & Development is a planned transition where our current CEO will be finishing in the CEO role in the next year, while remaining on staff to focus on Partners international crisis response efforts.
The Board of Directors is initiating a thoughtful and proactive search, with the goal of selecting a new CEO by 1 December 2026. This timeline is designed to allow for a purposeful onboarding period, where the selected candidate will have the unique opportunity to work alongside the current CEO, gaining insight, building relationships, and ensuring a seamless leadership transition.
The ideal CEO candidate
Spiritual Alignment: A mature and humble leader who can speak authentically to our faith-based supporters while fiercely protecting our inclusive, multi-faith global culture. Relational Expertise: Exceptional ability to build deep trust and inspire a diverse international team.
Strategic Vision: The capacity to steer the organization through its next stage of growth and financial sustainability while maintaining its unique organizational culture.
Crisis Resilience: Experience leading through immediate danger or rapid change, ideally with personal experience in international humanitarian or conflict settings.
Fundraising Skills: A proven communicator who can connect a donor’s heart to the complexities of on-the-ground work.
Presence and Travel: While flexible, there is a strong preference for a leader based in or willing to relocate to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The role requires travel (approx. one week per month) to support fundraising and stand in solidarity with staff in program locations.
Organizational Profile
Partners Relief & Development is an international humanitarian organization dedicated to serving children and communities affected by conflict and oppression. Since our founding in 1994, we have operated with a grassroots heart, transitioning from missionary roots into a robust global NGO. We believe that "to love is to act," and we prioritize the hard-to-reach places where other organizations are often not present. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Partners operates with a global family of staff and partners who are deeply committed to the holistic well-being of communities across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Supported by an experienced Executive Team, the organization has a shared leadership model that values local insights and collaborative engagement.
Our vision:
Free, full lives for children affected by conflict and oppression.
Our mission:
Ensuring children and communities affected by conflict and oppression are safe, healthy, and have access to education.
Our values:
We are creative and agile in our response to urgent needs, beholden to the humanitarian imperative to care for children and communities affected by conflict and oppression without the encumbrance of politics or diplomatic prerogative.
We go anywhere political complexity and violence prevent children from accessing essential survival needs.
We work through long-term relationships and partnerships to empower individuals and communities through co-created solutions.
We value the capabilities that are already held by communities, working in partnership with them, developing projects that draw people and skills together to establish creative solutions to the unique challenges they face.
We are compassionate and show love through our actions as we support individuals and communities irrespective of their background, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Our work is not just about what we do, but how we do it. Our team culture, policies, procedures, and priorities model this value.
We are accountable and transparent as we use the resources entrusted to us, with our words matching our actions.
We are learners and grow from celebrating our successes and acknowledging our mistakes and failures.
We are advocates and use our voice to amplify the voices of the displaced and oppressed. We are a community committed to modeling the life of love, justice, and care demonstrated in the teachings of Jesus.
Programmatic Approach
Partners Relief & Development’s efforts are defined by two primary pillars: Emergency Relief and Sustainable Development.
We do not believe in top-down solutions; instead, we follow a community-driven model that honors the dignity and expertise of the people we serve. We value the capabilities already held by communities. We work in close partnership with local leaders, co-developing projects that draw on existing skills to establish creative solutions to unique challenges. Our methodology ensures that when we step back, the progress remains.
Emergency Relief: We respond rapidly to crisis events—such as the escalation of conflict in Myanmar or the Middle East—by providing life-saving food, shelter, medical care, and survival necessities.
Healthcare & Nutrition: We support clinics in refugee settings, provide medicine, and train local health workers to provide primary care and nutrition support in remote conflict areas.
Education: We rebuild schools destroyed by war, train teachers, and fund learning centers to ensure displaced children continue to learn and are protected from the risks of exploitation.
Livelihood: We invest in sustainable farming, vocational skills training, and community-owned businesses that reinvest profits into local communities.
Empowering Women: We provide vocational skills training, feminine hygiene resources, and health education to support women and girls in conflict zones.
Global Reach & Impact
In 2025, more than 592,000 people were supported across 8 countries through 32 active projects. Impact stories and statistics can be found at https://impact.partners.ngo
The families and communities we walk alongside are more than just numbers to us. They are partners and active participants in bringing tangible help and change to their communities. Success is measured by both the tangible and intangible impacts to individuals and communities.
The incoming CEO will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for a global organization spanning 8 countries, managing an annual budget in excess of $3M USD and leading a dedicated team of 4 direct reports and 60–70 staff and contractors.
Organizational Culture
At Partners, we are more than a professional staff; we are a relational community. Our culture is built on a "relationship-first" foundation that prioritizes people over traditional corporate hierarchies or productivity metrics.
Shared Leadership: We operate through a non-authoritarian, collaborative model where titles do not trump relationships. Decision-making is an evolving, collective process that values the perspectives of those closest to the work on the ground.
Confident Humility: We seek leaders who can "shelve their ego" and work alongside an established team, recognizing that our success is shared.
Holistic Well-being: Because of the high-stress nature of relief work, we emphasize deep mutual care and emotional support for our global staff.
Courageous Risk-Taking: We possess a healthy organizational risk appetite, willing to take calculated risks for the sake of vulnerable populations that other organizations might find too complex or dangerous.
Faith in Action
Our mission is inspired by a "faith in action" approach, modeling the love, justice, and care demonstrated in the life and teachings of Jesus (Micah 6:8). While our heritage is Christian and we maintain strong ties to church partners, we are strictly non-evangelical and non-coercive in our humanitarian efforts.
Inclusive Belonging: We maintain an environment where staff and communities of all faiths—or none—are equally valued, respected, and loved.
Integrity and Accountability: We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring transparency for our donors and absolute commitment to the communities we serve.
Radical Compassion: Our work is driven by the belief that every person caught in conflict is worthy of care and love, simply because of their inherent dignity.
Job Description
The job description and strategic documentation related to the role and organization can be found on the Partners website: https://www.partners.ngo/join-us/ceo-search
Benefits and Compensation
● Indicative salary range: $145,000 - $165,000 USD per annum
● Paid annual vacation leave based on years of service.
● Organization-sponsored health and dental insurance plans.
● 403(b) retirement savings plan
● Flexible work environment
Application and Timeline
The Board of Directors has established the following transition timeline for the recruitment and hiring of the new CEO:
● Position Posting: 20 July 2026
● Vetting and Interviews: September 2026
● Candidate Presentation to Board: October/November 2026
● Start Date: 11 January 2027
Following the start date, the new CEO will participate in a transition period, including fundraising travel and program visits alongside the outgoing CEO to ensure a smooth handover of relationships and organizational knowledge.
Applicant must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Upon hire, the successful candidate will be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
To apply, please send a cover letter and current resume to [email protected] by 31 August 2026.
Pay: $145,000.00 - $165,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
Work Location: In person
